Top 10 Caramel/Candy Apple Toppings

I'm pretty sure my mom was the coolest mom in the neighborhood when I was little. Along with candy, she would pass out caramel and candy apples on Halloween. Yeah, you hit the jackpot if you came to my house to trick-or-treat.

Each year we always put together fun and beautifully designed candy and caramel apples for the neighborhood. There's so much more you can do with a candy or caramel apple than simply dunking the apple in the candy or caramel coating. Here's my top ten list of toppings you should try this fall.

10. Caramel Popcorn

Enhance the caramel flavor of the caramel apple by adding crunchy caramel popcorn. Each bite is a little salty and super-sweet. You'll also love the contrast in textures with the chewy caramel, crisp apple and softer popcorn.

9. Mini Marshmallows

Use the really tiny marshmallows to decorate your candy or caramel apples. You can find them by the hot chocolate in the grocery store. Itty-bitty marshmallows not only are adorable, but the perfect size to cover any sticky apple with. They instantly melt in your mouth with each bite of the apple.

You can be themed and use Halloween sprinkles, fall colors or decorate with the rainbow of colors. Cover the whole apple or just half with the pretty sprinkles. They're crunchy, sweet and make your apples look beautiful. 7. Mini Chocolate Chips

Again, just like the mini marshmallows, choose mini chocolate chips to decorate the candy or caramel apple. The tiny chips should completely cover at least half or the whole apple. The smaller the chips, the prettier (in my opinion) the apple will look. I prefer the chocolate chips with caramel apples because I think the caramel and chocolate flavors go better together than with the candy coating.

6. Crushed Graham Crackers

Pulverize graham crackers and coat the candy or caramel apple completely in the crumbs. Sprinkle cinnamon on top to re-create an apple pie taste. I always love how soft the graham cracker crumbs are with each bite of the caramel or candy apple.

Whatever type of nut you prefer, you should use. The salty-sweet taste of nuts with apples is a great flavor combination. I would use cashews, peanuts or pecans if I was decorating with nuts. 4. Candy Corn

Here is a fun topping for the Halloween season. Use crushed or whole candy corn pieces for a sugary treat to decorate the caramel or candy apple. The soft and chewy texture of the candy corn pieces is a great contrast to the crisp apple.

3. Crushed Butterfingers

Out of all the candy bars you can use to decorate a candy or caramel apple, I think Butterfingers are the best option. You get two flavors in one: chocolate and crispy caramel. When you crush the candy bar into tiny pieces, the different elements spread away from each other, creating a smooth coating on the candy or caramel apple. It's a little sweet and a little salty -- a great flavor combination.

2. Crushed Pretzels

For another sweet-salty combination, try crushing pieces of pretzels to coat the outside of a caramel or candy apple. You can use thin pretzel sticks, thick pretzel sticks or knot-shaped pretzels. Dip the caramel or candy apple in these salty treats for a crunchy, sweet, salty and delicious apple.

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My favorite caramel apple has always been drizzled with white chocolate. I love the presentation and overall flavor of these apples. Melted white chocolate in a drizzled form is beautiful and sometimes too pretty to eat, but that hesitancy doesn't last long. I love the sweetness of the caramel and white chocolate with the fresh, crisp apple.

Try any of these combinations, or combine a couple for the best candy and caramel apples.